


Pleasure Over Business

by Alliance (Xazz)



Series: Cypress Hall [47]
Category: Flight Rising
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-26
Updated: 2018-08-26
Packaged: 2019-07-02 14:31:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15798477
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Xazz/pseuds/Alliance





	Pleasure Over Business

There was a soft buzzing from [Setekh’s](http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=lair&id=252770&tab=dragon&did=20144925) home intercom. She gave it a side-eyed glance but waited for it to go away. Usually, whoever was looking for her in her own home lose their nerve when the bell was actually rung. She liked it that way. When it persisted for another fifteen seconds she go up from her lounge couch, putting her datapad down on the spotless glass coffee table, and went to the intercom. She said nothing as she pressed the button.

“Ma’am, I hate to interrupt you at this time of night,” her doorman prattled, “but you have a visitor.”

A visitor? She mentally checked her calendar. She wasn’t expecting anyone tonight. “Who?” was all she asked.

“Ah… he says he’s called the Master?” her doorman was confused even saying it. Her antenna twitched.

“You may send him up.” She cut off her doorman’s hasty affirmative when she left the intercom. She put her work shoes back on, picked up her datapad and casually looked over it while waiting for the warlock to come up to the penthouse. She did hope he was worth the bother. He seemed quite full of himself and she couldn’t stand it.

—

The [Master](http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=lair&id=332919&tab=dragon&did=24317763) gave a soft, but assertive, knock on the door. He specifically ignored the doorbell. [Neph](http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=lair&tab=dragon&id=332919&did=43003210) leaned against the wall, arms folded, looking pouty. He thought they were here for one of the Master’s more boring business ventures to the bigger cities. Once he knocked he waited. He wouldn’t knock again. Setekh knew they were coming. Or rather, she knew _he_ was coming. She didn’t know the Master had brought Neph. It was a surprise. He found ladies in power enjoyed surprises like Neph.

She was still in her office ‘uniform’ when she answered the door. Perfectly tailored clothes that fit perfectly around her wings and her shoes made her taller than him. “Setekh,” he said graciously and when she offered her hand to shake he kissed it instead. Neph giggled when she pulled it away looking annoyed.

“Who’s that?” she asked, giving Neph a hard look.

“My assistant,” the Master smiled brightly at her. “Neph, this is Setekh, CEO of Tempest Biotech. You heard of it, no?”

“Something like that,” he gave her one of his cute little grins.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, by her tone she wasn’t interested in their shenanigans.

“I brought a good vintage,” the Master said and with magic pulled a large bottle of red wine out of a pocket of cool space. “From the vineyards of the Upper Isles in the Reaches, the Magda’gor clan’s to be precise. These don’t just turn up,” he said pleasantly. From the eyebrow twitch he knew she knew of both that clan and their vineyard. He gave her his best smile. “Won’t you let us in?” She opened the door the rest of the way, “Thank you ever so much.”

“What’s he doing here?” Setekh looked Neph over.

“He’s the entertainment. Makes the wine better, do you have glasses?” he asked and helped himself to one of her sofas. Neph leaned over the back and the Master whispered in his ear, gently tapping Neph’s chin. Neph nodded and slid away from him, going to look around the sitting room. Setekh returned with a pair of wine glasses. “Lovely place you have here,” the Master said.

“I do,” Setekh said, smug as could be.

“You’d have nightmares if you visited _my_ home. Not that it isn’t grand, there’s just no light bulbs,” he glanced around at all the displays of technology with a bit of contempt. It had its uses but magic could do just as much _and_ you didn’t have to almost kill yourself getting shocked by lightning to do it. “It is, as you call it, too country for you, my dear,” and he opened the bottle of wine. He poured a healthy, but appropriate, amount into her crystal cup and did the same with his own.

“What are you doing here, darling?” she asked him and took a sip. By the way her antenna twitched in surprise he knew she was surprised by it. He’d pulled a _very_ good vintage from his collection for tonight.

“Oh, just playing nice,” the Master said.

“Oh!” Neph cried.

“What is it, Nephy?” the Master turned a bit to see just the end of his tail around a corner.

“Miss Setekh, may I pet your snakes?” Neph called and then stuck his head out of the room.

“No,” she said and punctuated it with a sip of her wine.

“Neph, come back out here,” the Master beckoned with a finger. Neph sulked a little even as he came back out.

“I don’t play nice anyone, darling, you must know that.”

“Ah, but I think you’ll make an exception for me and Neph here,” the Master grinned.

“How do you figure that?”

“Because we want nothing from you except a lovely night in your company,” the Master said as music started to play. Not very loud but loud enough to be heard but not overwhelm their talking. Setekh looked away from the Master to where Neph had taken off half of his clothes. “I didn’t just bring the wine to entertain us,” the Master drew her attention away from Neph again.

Setekh took a slow sip of her wine, “I’m listening.” One of her shoos hung on by just the toes and she gently tapped it in the air to the beat. But her eyes were serious and trying to figure out the Master’s game. But that was the thing. He had no game. He was genuine. Setekh had nothing of interest to him. She had many interesting, dangerous, and magical artifacts but they were of little consequence to him. No. She was just beautiful and powerful and there were few things the Master liked more than that.

The Master casually gestured to Neph who had started dancing to the music. “Neph is _very_ talented and listens well. I’m sure you could find a use for him, hmm?”

Setekh looked from the Master back to Neph. She drank the rest of her wine and offered her glass to the Master, “Top me off, darling.”

—

After making sure he wasn’t wearing Neph’s pants, or worse Setekh’s skirt (his hips looks terrible in skirts), the Master got out of the bed. Neph was curled up against where the Master had been laying, already passed out, while Setekh lay on her back, awake. “And just where do you think you’re going?” she asked, lifting herself partially up on her elbow. Her eyes were a bit glassy from all the wine and the Master smiled slightly.

“Don’t you worry your pretty little head about that,” he said nicely.

“You touch anything, I’ll know,” she said, doing her best threatening voice which only worked so well because her words slurred a bit.

He giggled. “I have no use for your _trinkets,_ a man has natural needs, my dear,” he said.

“Hmph,” and she lay back down.

The Master left the room and didn’t go relieve himself. Rather he did exactly what Setekh thought he was doing and went to go look at all of her things. He didn’t touch a one. He was just assuring himself that they were worthless to him. Even if he did want one he wasn’t so much a fool to just take it now. But after a cursory look around at her private collection he was quite sure he desired none of her items. She was still awake when he returned but her eyelids were heavy.

“You have _quite_ a collection,” he said, not having to fake impressed. She did have an impressive collection of trinkets, artifacts, and weapons of various makes, methods, deliveries, and potency. But no books of any worth. Some coffee table books. A few on business or account books in her office. Boring. Nothing of consequence. He didn’t even care she literally just left her accounting records out. He had no use for that sort of thing.

“Heh. Yes. I am very proud of it,” he said tiredly.

“Oh really?” he returned to the bed. Neph _immediately_ snuggled up against him. He was quite a selfish boy when he was asleep but the Master knew that. “It must have taken you a long time to acquire all those items, yes?”

“Yes,” she agreed slowly. “You touched nothing,” she was almost surprised.

“As I said, your trinkets are worth nothing to me,” he grinned. “I prefer knowledge over objects. A sentiment you clearly don’t share.” He didn’t resent her for that. Everyone had their needs and desires. “I bet you could tell me about any of them, couldn’t you?” He knew her being a bit drunk and tired was the only reason she allowed him giving her a gentle quirk on the nose. She still slowly batted him away.

“Of course I could. I know everything about those objects,” she proclaimed.

“Oh really now? I love hearing about the stories of things, their histories.”

“I’m sure you do, darling.”

“Would you be willing to tell me some?”

She snorted. “Maybe if you had another bottle of wine.”

“ _Ah_ , is that all? Well, that can be arranged. Let’s make it a date,” he smirked. She just sort of rolled her eyes at him. “I don’t hear so I take it you aren’t completely done with me.”

She gave him a look through slitted eyes. “You’re less annoying than I first thought. Consider that a boon, if you wish.”

“I will,” he smiled. Then he gave an exaggerated yawn and stretch with one arm. Neph complained against his chest but was ignored. “I’ll speak to your secretary in the morning than, shall’n’t I?” He settled down onto the almost too comfortable bed. “Maybe you’ll get lucky and he’ll decide he likes you,” the Master said, meaning Neph. Setekh just sort of blew a puff of air out of her mouth in disinterest. Now that neither of them were entertaining her she had little use for them. Neph cuddled up against him even more when he finally laid down and fell asleep.


End file.
